Powder dipper trick

jag2 · October 16, 2013, 04:48 PM

I've always used the Lee powder dippers, came up with a neat idea.( I love it when they work, they tend to be a bit rare) I wanted a dipper that would hold 5 grns of Bullseye for 45 ACP. Make a long story short, take piece of 380 brass and it fits snuggly inside the 1.3 cc dipper. Instead of trying to trim the brass I just jam in pieces of cardboard I cut to size. Keep adding layers until the volume is correct so that it weighs what I want. Voila!. I guess I'll keep making more for each powder/load I want. I know some people do something similar by soldering on some sort of handle but this is a lot easier, and I don't solder.

Mike / Tx · October 16, 2013, 05:11 PM

If you use that 380, or possibly even a 357 brass as a hole punch, it is a pretty quick trip to get several dozen little disc all the same size. If you knock the primer out it makes it real easy to shove out what you have cut.

I used a similar process to cut felt disc for a double round ball load which I loaded in the Speer shot capsules for my 44 mag.

Lost Sheep · October 16, 2013, 06:19 PM

A solderless handle can be attached to a case. Get one of those plastic wire ties or zip ties (the kind with a ratchet lock on one end). Tighten it really tight onto the cartridge case. If you chose one stiff enough it makes a decent handle. If it slips a little, add some super-glue.

Lost Sheep

spacecoast · October 16, 2013, 06:28 PM

I take a case that's a little bigger than what I need and reduce it length-wise with a grinding wheel. No fillers needed. Also, be sure to calibrate all your dippers for each powder. Don't trust the Lee charts, which tend to overstate how much powder they hold weight-wise. They are accurate for some powders, but not for others.

You can also reduce the Lee dippers themselves with a piece of sandpaper. This works well to go from .5cc to .45cc or .4cc.

I use a stiff piece of common household wire for the handles.

pathdoc · October 17, 2013, 06:53 PM

I quite like the fact that the dipper charts overstate the capacity - it means I can quite happily scoop away knowing I'm very well clear of maximum no matter what I do (I've checked this with a scale). I got a lot of vertical stringing that way, but it was fun to try. (To my embarrassment, my haste in the process fed me a squib load, but that's a learning experience too.)

I decided I won't be doing that in future - my scoop technique just isn't good enough with the powder I've been using (Varget), and the scoops will be to get me close, then trickle up to desired weight on the electronic or beam scale. We shall see how we go with different powders.

bt380 · October 18, 2013, 08:35 AM

Here's another trick. I bought a Lee dipper set and naturally I tend to shoot "between dippers." Go figure!!! I shoot mostly 380acp, 9mm, and 40 cal. Once you have a general idea of the powder amount you need with the typical components you use, modify the cases of those calibers so they can be variable dippers. Tap/die the primer hole to hold a screw. Turn in the screw = less space. Unscrew = more space. The handle is stiff wire wrapped about the extractor groove then figure 8ed (new word for your wiki) to the desired length with a small loop handle at the end to control the dip/pour. Make sure the case opening is perfectly smooth.
-
I haven't seen this in the forum but I'm sure it has been done by 2013.
-
If not, one could start an ebay business selling a shell, a piece of wire and a screw w/ instruction written in that crappy nonsense form you get when crap comes from China.

bedbugbilly · October 18, 2013, 12:16 PM

bt380 - thanks for that little "trick" - an easy solution to making a variable volume dipper!

bt380 · October 18, 2013, 02:36 PM

Glad to help. You can also take a 40 cal case and do the same but place a tiny bit of epoxy inside next to the bottom to just hold a nut against the base of the head but still leave the screw so it can turn. That will eat up more space for those powders that don't need to fill the case but the screw isn't big enough to eat enough volume.

October 16, 2013, 04:48 PM	#1
jag2 Senior Member Join Date: June 30, 2009 Location: dallas Posts: 773	Powder dipper trick I've always used the Lee powder dippers, came up with a neat idea.( I love it when they work, they tend to be a bit rare) I wanted a dipper that would hold 5 grns of Bullseye for 45 ACP. Make a long story short, take piece of 380 brass and it fits snuggly inside the 1.3 cc dipper. Instead of trying to trim the brass I just jam in pieces of cardboard I cut to size. Keep adding layers until the volume is correct so that it weighs what I want. Voila!. I guess I'll keep making more for each powder/load I want. I know some people do something similar by soldering on some sort of handle but this is a lot easier, and I don't solder.

October 16, 2013, 05:11 PM	#2
Mike / Tx Senior Member Join Date: April 8, 2000 Posts: 2,101	If you use that 380, or possibly even a 357 brass as a hole punch, it is a pretty quick trip to get several dozen little disc all the same size. If you knock the primer out it makes it real easy to shove out what you have cut. I used a similar process to cut felt disc for a double round ball load which I loaded in the Speer shot capsules for my 44 mag. __________________ LAter, Mike / TX

October 18, 2013, 12:16 PM	#7
bedbugbilly Senior Member Join Date: November 19, 2009 Posts: 3,287	bt380 - thanks for that little "trick" - an easy solution to making a variable volume dipper! __________________ If a pair of '51 Navies were good enough for Billy Hickok, then a single Navy on my right hip is good enough for me . . . besides . . . I'm probably only half as good as he was anyways. Hiram's Rangers Badge #63

October 16, 2013, 06:19 PM	#3
Lost Sheep Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2009 Location: Anchorage Alaska Posts: 3,341	A solderless handle can be attached to a case. Get one of those plastic wire ties or zip ties (the kind with a ratchet lock on one end). Tighten it really tight onto the cartridge case. If you chose one stiff enough it makes a decent handle. If it slips a little, add some super-glue. Lost Sheep

October 16, 2013, 06:28 PM	#4
spacecoast Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 2009 Location: Sunshine and Keystone States Posts: 4,461	I take a case that's a little bigger than what I need and reduce it length-wise with a grinding wheel. No fillers needed. Also, be sure to calibrate all your dippers for each powder. Don't trust the Lee charts, which tend to overstate how much powder they hold weight-wise. They are accurate for some powders, but not for others. You can also reduce the Lee dippers themselves with a piece of sandpaper. This works well to go from .5cc to .45cc or .4cc. I use a stiff piece of common household wire for the handles.

October 17, 2013, 06:53 PM	#5
pathdoc Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2013 Posts: 669	I quite like the fact that the dipper charts overstate the capacity - it means I can quite happily scoop away knowing I'm very well clear of maximum no matter what I do (I've checked this with a scale). I got a lot of vertical stringing that way, but it was fun to try. (To my embarrassment, my haste in the process fed me a squib load, but that's a learning experience too.) I decided I won't be doing that in future - my scoop technique just isn't good enough with the powder I've been using (Varget), and the scoops will be to get me close, then trickle up to desired weight on the electronic or beam scale. We shall see how we go with different powders.

October 18, 2013, 08:35 AM	#6
bt380 Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2012 Posts: 331	Here's another trick. I bought a Lee dipper set and naturally I tend to shoot "between dippers." Go figure!!! I shoot mostly 380acp, 9mm, and 40 cal. Once you have a general idea of the powder amount you need with the typical components you use, modify the cases of those calibers so they can be variable dippers. Tap/die the primer hole to hold a screw. Turn in the screw = less space. Unscrew = more space. The handle is stiff wire wrapped about the extractor groove then figure 8ed (new word for your wiki) to the desired length with a small loop handle at the end to control the dip/pour. Make sure the case opening is perfectly smooth. - I haven't seen this in the forum but I'm sure it has been done by 2013. - If not, one could start an ebay business selling a shell, a piece of wire and a screw w/ instruction written in that crappy nonsense form you get when crap comes from China.

October 18, 2013, 02:36 PM	#8
bt380 Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2012 Posts: 331	Glad to help. You can also take a 40 cal case and do the same but place a tiny bit of epoxy inside next to the bottom to just hold a nut against the base of the head but still leave the screw so it can turn. That will eat up more space for those powders that don't need to fill the case but the screw isn't big enough to eat enough volume.